Save it for a rainy day

Or more accurately, nine rainy days. All of which are perfect for cake. Perfect for no fuss, moist, fruity, dark, breakfast cake. That's right, breakfast cake- it's a thing.  Not coffee cake, not crumb cake, just cake. For Breakfast.

And not just any breakfast cake- cake of honey, molasses, and huckleberries.


 I think I've said it before, but I hate frosting. With the exception of German Chocolate Cake, which I've started to realize can never be replaced or recreated from the birthday cakes of my youth,  I am an anti-frosting-kinda-gal.  Frosting be dammed.  Go for the cake, don't let anything get in the way...

That's also my sentiment on things like honey, molasses, and of course huckleberries.  I've made this cake before from Nigel Slater's recipe for Pudding Cake Of Honey, Cinnamon, and Plums, but which I found on Orangette. So in the middle of this zillion day rain, grey, streak Seattle seems set on sticking too, I knew just what  to make, but with a few major substitutions. 


First, I still have about 3 pounds of huckleberries in the freezer from my black market, back-alley, mad, and crazed huckleberry run earlier this fall.  Recently, I've noticed a little bit of freezer burn starting to creep in, so to avoid further and more devastating tragedy, I've set in motion a baking plan to use up every last one.  


Secondly, I didn't have Golden Syrup- which although not hard to find these days, didn't sound as appealing to me as did the words honey and molasses. So I made my own by replacing the called for amount of golden syrup with equal parts amber honey and dark molasses.  Personally, I think it gives the cake a richer color and depth of flavor, but really I just like experimenting. 


Pudding Cake of Honey, Molasses, and Huckleberries
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 slightly heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 slightly heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pinches salt
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Honey 
1/3 cup Molasses 
2 Tbsp. honey
9 Tbsp. (125 grams) unsalted butter
¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar 
2 large eggs
1 cup almond milk (you could use regular milk too) 
2 cups frozen huckleberries (frozen or fresh, mixed with 1/4 teaspoon corn starch and the juice of one lemon) 



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9inch cake pan- circle or square- but I used a circular pan.  Mix, butter, honey, molasses on stove until butter melts. Stir in brown sugar and remove from heat. Let cool slightly.  In a separate bowl mix flour, salt, baking soda, powder, and cinnamon.  Pour cooled honey molasses mixture into flour mixture and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until just combined.  Batter will be thick.  In another bowl whisk eggs and milk together. Add to flour, honey, molasses mixture.  The batter will resist incorporation at first, but stick it out. The end result will be a rather soupy, but well combined mix.  Pour into cake pan.  Pour huckleberries on top of cake, they will sink.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until cake is mostly set. Remove foil, turn off oven, and let the cake sit in the oven for another 20 minutes. This allows the cake to continue cooking, without drying up, or over baking.  


Let cool completely. Cut and serve. Since this cake is so moist, there's no need to cover too tightly for storing. As long as you eat it or share it in 2 to 3 days, which believe me you will have no problem doing, the cake should be find with only the cut exposed edges covered. 


Happy Breakfast cake day everyone! 

that time of year

I've noticed there comes a time every year where one aches for spring.  In my case it usually coincides with the time of year I cut my hair, start drinking iced coffee, and decide I should go for a run.  Sadly, although it means spring is just around the corner, it usually means I get sick and have trouble walking for a few days because there is no world in which I am a good runner.

Regardless, it's just about the perfect time for grapefruit.

A mountain of grapefruit.  Squeezed, zested, strained, and laced with sugar...

Welcome Grapefruit Bars- The Lemon Bars more seasoned sister. As you know I love lemon bars and when a few days ago I stumbled upon a recipe for grapefruit curd I knew there was something there.

A lot of somethings...

That go from tart, to sweet, and hit you with just a hint of ginger.  I think grapefruit is my favorite member of the citrus family.  Growing up my sister and I used to peel them like oranges, juice everywhere as we devoured each ruby colored wedge.  Oddly enough my favorite part was the white stuff, the pilth.  I loved how bitter and astringent it was and how if you ate enough of it your mouth went a little tingly.  Like olives that taste like a dairy barn, there are some things you can't stop eating because you can't quite believe how they taste. Grapefruit pilth, for me, is better than those olives.

Then there's the zest.

Unlike the pilth, it's actually nutritious  and actually tastes like fruit.  Therefore, I used a lot of it.

Grapefruit Ginger Bars
For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temp
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar

For the filling:
6 large eggs at room temp
2 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grapefruit zest (about 2 large grapefruits)
1 tablespoon ginger juice (I made by grating ginger and pushing it through a micro strainer)
1 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together in standing mixer with paddle attachment. Add salt and flour until just combined. Press into a greased 9 by 13 inch.  Let chill.

Bake for 15-20 min.  Whisk eggs, sugar, grapefruit zest, grapefruit juice, ginger juice, and flour together.  Pour over par-baked crust and make for another 35-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and let chill. I put mine in the fridge to speed up the process.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Cut. Share. Eat.

let's talk about this...

chocolate. I try not to be so stereotypical, but really somedays chocolate is everything you need. I'm serious.

Introducing my new favorite brownie variation.  I'm calling them cupboard brownies, for the simple fact that these are the ingredients I had, and that no part of me felt like going to the store. It was one of those days.

But really, I don't think they're lacking. Not at all.

Salted Dark Chocolate Cocoa Brownies (aka Cupboard Brownies) 
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen 


1 1/4 sticks, 5 ounces  unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/2 teaspoon flaking sea salt plus some for sprinkling 
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs 
1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger (optional) 


Melt butter, cocoa, and sugar in a heat resistant bowl over simmering water until smooth.  Add in eggs and vanilla, incorporating after each one.  Once batter looks smooth, stir in flour until fully incorporated. Stir vigorously for 1 minute with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Stir in candied ginger. Pour mixture into greased 8 by 8 inch pan and bake 25-30 minutes at 325 or until edges begin to pull away and the center is still a little bit gooey.  Trust me, you want these a little underdone. Their fudge like consistency sets up as they cool and makes for one decadent, moist, chocolate reprieve. 


Remove from oven. Let cool, or throw in the freezer to speed up the process.  Cut into small bite size pieces, really these are rich, once completely cool.  

Eat. Enjoy. Get on your chocolate, no one will judge you- least of all me.... 

Finally...

I've been negligent. I know. But I promise I've been up to something. Something wonderful.

Macaroons. 

I'm on a mission. A macaroon mission.  I've also been reading A Brief History of the World, but I promise that is not what's been keeping me away. Really.  Macaroons may just be the most perfect cookie.  Light, chewy, sweet, and when done by a professional (aka not me) they look like perfect little colored dots-- something out of a Mad Hatter -Alice and Wonderland tea party scene.

Or if you think about it, tiny, brightly colored hamburgers.

Whatever your preference, macaroons are all there are for me these days.

Step #1

Two.

Three.

Four.

I wish it were that simple.  Especially because I'd like to make them everyday.  This is what I learned this week:
1. Making evenly spaced and sized dough circles is harder that you may think. Also, I am terrible at it. Really awful, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all I need is a little more practice.

2. Lemon and chocolate, specifically meyer lemon and chocolate, is my new favorite flavor combination.  I was skeptical at first, but after being assured by some fairly reputable sources that lemon and chocolate are indeed a amicable match, I gave it a a try.  The result? Heavenly....

3. Meyer lemon's make the best kind of lemon curd.

3. Aged egg whites are the way to go. I know, it seems even stranger than lemon and chocolate, but it's worth it for both the consistency and airiness of your macaroon.  I let mine sit for 48 hours on the counter, although some recipes call for just 24 hours.

4. Finally, the world is a much better place when you have a box of macaroons to share.

I am still working on perfecting my recipe, but don't worry... there'll be plenty of experimenting.  Happy Macaroon March everyone!

cold weather nuptials

On saturday my sister got married.

On top of mountain.

It was cold, and sunny, and altogether perfect.

These are the things I learned:

 Someone will always sing Wagon Wheel, no matter where you are or where you go.  And if it's the grooms brother, you may even cry.

Wax paper and parchment paper are not the same thing. A very important lesson learned especially when making salted caramels for 85 people.  Use parchment paper. Trust me.

And finally,  airport security will confiscate your maple cream and they won't think asking them for a spoon so you can start eating it right there, in the airport, at four in the morning, is very funny.  

But I did make cake. Several of them actually.

While my little Cannon wasn't really up for the job. They did have a lovely photographer who captured this, amongst other things....

any given sunday.

I think that's a movie title. Something about football. Regardless, Sunday was the Superbowl and while I can't talk that much about it for fear of getting a little weepy-- I will give you this.

Rice Crispy treats. Specifically, Salted Brown Butter Milk Chocolate Chip Rice Crispy Treats. 

Despite the heart crushing loss I suffered, I can only imagine I will be able to recover by sharing these with you.

The recipe I used is adapted from Smitten Kitchen . The adaptions I made, while simple, I think are pretty crucial.  First the salt. I added a lot of it. A lot. Enough that I almost worried they were too salty, as if that could ever be a thing.  Secondly, the milk chocolate.  Personally, I think milk chocolate often goes overlooked. While I love dark chocolate with all the buzz it has been getting lately it seems like milk chocolate is going the way of white chocolate or say, vegetarianism.   Let's not let that happen. It's delicious and with the salt and brown butter, it's the perfect touch of sweetness for these treats.

6 cups rice crispy cereal
10 oz. marshmallows
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt plus more for sprinkling
1 bag milk chocolate chips

Let's talk brown butter.  It's nutty, dark, and of course buttery.  Start by heating butter in a saucepan over medium heat. It will melt, foam, turn translucent, and then brown.  Make sure to stir frequently and keep your eye on it because the time between brown and burnt is often less than a minute.  You should be able to tell when it's sufficiently brown by the smell.  Remove butter from heat and mix in marshmallows.

Stay tuned because this month I am perfecting my marshmallow recipe and then you can make your own. Yum.... For now I used the regular grocery store kind. Once butter marshmallow mixture is melted and smooth, pour over rice crispy treats and salt, and combine quickly. Mixture will start to stiffen fairly quickly so don't be afraid to use some force. Add it chocolate chips, mix to combine and press into a buttered or sprayed 8 by 11 inch pan. Let cool. Cut into squares. Enjoy with football, oysters, and beer.


In reality, despite the special occasion of this particular Sunday, I would say this is an any given Sunday sort of treat.....

I'd make them just for the sake of sun. Enjoy.